


a blessing in disguise

by TheQueenInTheNorth



Series: lou does the aos advent 2018 [20]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-26
Updated: 2018-12-26
Packaged: 2019-09-28 00:33:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17172473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheQueenInTheNorth/pseuds/TheQueenInTheNorth
Summary: Sinara thinks the traditional Reading to determine your soulmate is most likely a scam.





	a blessing in disguise

Sinara is leaning against the wall, arms crossed and listening to her fellow soldiers’ excited whispers with irritation. There’s ten of them, this time, that have turned twenty-one since the last Reading and have therefore been summoned to the Temple of the Sages.

They're all far too old to believe in fairytales, yet Sinara is one of the few to be openly sceptical of the whole notion of soulmates in general and the idea that someone can tell who that might be in particular. The others are agitated, hoping for the Sages to give them a Blessing, some news of their soulmate.

Most of them at least don’t go on and on about romance and destiny; there is talk of your soulmate somehow prolonging your life by their mere presence.

Sinara thinks that, too, is quite stupid, really. Of course people who are with their soulmate will live longer lives. Having the Reading performed and actually travelling to meet means at least one of them had enough wealth to make that possible, which meant they had enough for food, for shelter, and even enough not to take miserable, dangerous work that would kill them sooner. Assuming the soulmate does anything to actually prolong your life, other than provide you with material things that would do this anyway, is idiotic.

Just because the Empire has chosen to have the Reading performed on its soldiers doesn’t mean she has to be happy about it, it simply means she has to go through with it.

She hopes she’ll get no result, the way Darillion returned from his Reading without a Blessing from the Sages. Not that she had been tactless enough to congratulate him on that. He’d tried to make light of it, saying his soulmate may not have had their own Reading yet, but she could tell he was disappointed.

Nearly as disappointed as Azale, who had returned with the knowledge that she had a soulmate and had had to leave not three days later to go meet them.

“Sinara,”one of the Sages calls, and she follows them into the chamber beyond.

They make her kneel in their midst, the room as stuffy as Aza said, their half-whispered songs almost eery to her, though she understands why Darillion called them mystical.

There’s burning herbs that make her eyes water, and she can’t make out the face of the Sage that puts a hand on her head.

“They’ve smiled on you,”the voice tells her, and she only just manages to stifle a groan.

Whomever ‘they’ may be exactly is as unclear as how the Sages can find your soulmate, but she knows what those words mean. She’s received a Blessing.

* * *

No one has bothered to give her much information on where she’s being brought. She’s not the important one in this pairing so she didn’t really expect much.

But she knows she’s being brought to the capital and that does nothing to improve her mood.

Not only will she be saddled with some idiot who believes in soulmates because a bunch of elderly people who probably inhaled a little too much incense smoke through the years said so but it appears her destined partner is also unfathomably wealthy.

The ship they sent to collect her is ridiculously big and obviously the best money can buy.

In a way, that is a bit of a relief. Someone who can spare a ship like this to collect some soldier they’ve never even met is probably a noble, which means she’ll at least not be expected to marry them.

Just what the connection to your soulmate is is matter of contention. Families are quick to claim it’s a romantic match if it befits and benefits their station. In cases such as Sinara’s, the commoner usually is made the soulmate’s guard. She thinks that must be the plan for her. Not that anyone bothers telling her anything.

She may not have believed them if they had tried to. Because when she does eventually deboard, none other than Prince Kasius is waiting for her.

* * *

Kasius’ heart is racing a mile a minute as he waits for his soulmate. He’s the first in his family to have one in a few generations. When he’d left his Reading without a Blessing, he had been disappointed but not surprised. But then he had gotten word from the Sages after all.

And now here she was. His soulmate.

She’s barely off the ramp when he’s already made his way over to her.

“Sinara,”he says, taking her hands in his.“Welcome, my dear.”

She stares at him, completely stunned, and then pulls her hands away slowly.“Thank you.”

It sounds almost like a question.

Kasius isn’t entirely sure how to proceed either. He expected a little more excitement on her part, really. She looks disgruntled more than anything else.

“I’ll show you to your accommodations,”he says, forcing the smile to stay on his face. His friend Clio has a soldier for a soulmate, too, and they’ve worked it out quickly enough. He and Sinara must be able to do the same, surely.

She only nods and follows him half a step behind, clearly not interested in anything but acting as his guard.

His father will be thrilled.

* * *

As suspected, Sinara is named Kasius’ personal guard. It’s an easier assignment than anything she’d ever have gotten if she weren’t his so-called soulmate. Or it would be if he weren’t so insistent on getting to know her.

He has so many questions for her, so many stories he wants to tell. He never shuts up, not even when he’s supposed to be working. It gets to the point where he’s read her enough of his academic nonsense that she actually begins to understand it.

She’s the one to kiss him, eventually, adamantly blaming it on the fact that she just wanted him to stop talking for once. He laughs at that, not believing her in the slightest. Which is alright since she doesn’t believe herself either.

She blames the wine when they fall into bed together the first time. And the second. And the third. Then she gives up and just accepts that it’ll keep happening.

All talk of soulmates is banned from the bedroom, though.

* * *

His cousin is matched with his soulmate a few months after Sinara’s arrival.

Unlike Kasius, Akedus has a soulmate befitting of his social class, and wedding preparations are soon underway.

It’s terribly unfair, Kasius thinks. Akedus doesn’t even care about romance or destiny; he should be the one unable to marry his soulmate, indifferent as he is to the matter.

So far Kasius has evaded the inevitable political marriage awaiting him, both because the factions all still hope to secure Faulnak for their daughters, and because he makes absolutely no secret of his liaison with Sinara. It is almost expected, when your soulmate is not a marriage possibility, but very unseemly not to hide it.

Spouses have an unfortunate habit of dying when there’s a paramour who just so happens to also act as guard. A second son is hardly worth that risk.

“You’ll come to Akedus’ wedding with me, won’t you?”Kasius asks.

“When don’t I come with you?” Sinara knows full well what he’s doing. She doesn’t tell him to stop, though she knows she should.“I’m your guard.”

No matter that clarification, she spends the whole feast on his arm anyway.

* * *

“Are you serious?”Sinara asks with a sigh when Kasius hands her his dissertation to look over. Of course he just had to pick this subject.

“Completely,”he says.“There’s plenty of studies that show that your soulmate’s presence extends life expectancy.”

“Correlation does not equal causation,”Sinara returns, then groans. When did she start to talk like that?

“I go into that,”Kasius says, smiling at her brightly.“Page twelve, I believe.”

“Marvellous,”Sinara deadpans, thumbing through the stack of papers.“You’re not even supposed to bring this up, you know. I’m still in bed.”

“Writing doesn’t count. The rule says no talking about soulmates.”

She shouldn’t be surprised he already has an excuse ready.

She hides behind his dissertation when he leans in for a kiss, pretending not to notice him. A little childish, perhaps, but nowhere near as bad as his pouting in response.

“Definitely an infraction,”Sinara says without looking up.“Writing counts.”

Kasius sighs.“Will breakfast in bed fix it?”

“Certainly won’t hurt.”

* * *

“Don’t say it,”Sinara cautions.“Don’t even think it.”

Kasius tilts his head to one side, looking at her innocently.“But you did save my life. And you are my soulmate.”

“I saved your life because I’m your guard. Not because I’m your soulmate.” She sets the autopilot, then turns to Kasius properly.“Keep it up and I’m chucking you back into the battlefield to disprove your theory.”

“You wouldn’t. You like me too much.”

“Want to bet on that?”Sinara grumbles, but Kasius simply laughs.

* * *

“Exile isn’t so bad,”Kasius says one night, apropos of nothing.“It has its perks, really.”

Sinara flicks the lights back on, scowling at him. She’d almost fallen asleep.“How much did you have to drink?”

“I’m not drunk. But we’re away from the capital now. There’s no one telling us what to do. We could get married, you know.”

Sinara snorts.“I’m not marrying you so you can feel better about being exiled.”

“That’s not what I meant,”Kasius says, rolling his eyes.“I’ve always wanted to marry you. Don’t pretend you don’t know that.”

That claim really can’t be disputed, so she settles for the next best thing.“If we’re ever out of exile and you still think this is a good idea, then I’ll marry you, alright?”

“Alright.” He smiles at her as if she just confessed her undying love or something equally silly.“Will you wear the dress and everything?”

As if they’ll ever actually be allowed to return from exile. She rolls her eyes.“Sure, why not.”

 

She rather regrets that thoughtless promise some years later, though she has to admit his smile might be worth it.


End file.
